SPIRITBOUND |°་༘♡| dandadan

02. SUSPENSION LIFE

✾_________ ׂׂૢ.˚______°་༘♡

✾_________BEING SUSPENDED didn't mean freedom from schoolwork. Seira stared blankly at her chemistry assignment, spinning her pen between her fingers with increasing aggression. Unsurprisingly, it slipped and clattered to the floor, rolling just out of reach.

She leaned forward to grab it, but her hand paused. A white paw pinned the pen to the dark wooden floor.

Seira sighed, her frustration morphing into mild irritation. She was used to the fox appearing unannounced, but it still managed to startle her every single time.

"If you keep abusing your pen like that, it'll break," the fox said, its tone as smug as ever.

Ignoring the comment, Seira retrieved the pen and turned back to her work. "You never explained where you disappeared to for a whole week. Instead you ran away for six more days. Your little wanderings usually last a day or two at most."

"I was investigating something," the fox replied casually. "Didn't go far. Not like I could."

The dismissive tone wasn't new, but something about it felt off. Seira narrowed her eyes, leaning back in her chair. "What were you investigating?" she asked, a hint of curiosity slipping into her voice as she spun in her chair to face the fox.

The fox hesitated, its red ears twitching. Its tail flicked nervously, the movement unusually restless. "Just... some things I needed to look into. Nothing you need to worry about."

Seira tilted her head, skepticism coloring her features. "You're not getting into trouble again, are you?" she asked, seriousness coloring her tone. "I've got enough on my plate without you dragging me into another mess. I can't keep helping you out when you tick off ancient spirits, you know."

The fox snorted, its confidence returning with a dramatic roll of its eyes. "Oh, please. I don't need you to fix my problems. And for the record, I don't drag you into anything—you volunteer."

The fox paused for a moment, glancing up at Seira before adding, "Besides, you're too wrapped up in your own drama to notice anything about mine."

"Pretty sure you're the reason for most of my drama," Seira shot back, her mind flicking to the incident that led to her suspension. "You're the one who set the vice principal's wig on fire, remember?"

"It was a wig?" the fox muttered, feigning surprise.

"Don't play dumb with me."

The fox sighed, its ears flattening slightly in annoyance. "He was being a—"

"Language."

"—jerk," it corrected with a dramatic eye roll.

Seira sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Seriously, is this about that spirit you mentioned before you left?"

The fox's gaze sharpened, golden eyes unreadable as it studied her for a moment. Finally, it gave a single nod. "Partially," it said. "But it's nothing for you to worry about—yet."

"I'll leave it at that for now."

With that, the fox walked out of the room, leaving Seira alone with her thoughts—and a chemistry assignment that still wasn't going to finish itself.

Not even two hours later, just as Seira had finished the last of her schoolwork, she heard hurried little taps ascending the stairs to her room. The sound was unmistakable, and moments later, a white blur sprinted through her closed door as though it weren't there.